Institutional Effectiveness Committee (formerly the IE Team)

History

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges requires that institutions establish a Leadership Team to manage and validate the internal institutional assessment of compliance with all Core Requirements and Comprehensive Standards. In its Handbook for Reaffirmation of Accreditation the Commission recommends that the team include individuals who have the skills, knowledge and authority to lead in this institutional effort. It is suggested that the team not be too large, but its membership should include at least the chief executive officer, the chief academic officer, the accreditation liaison, and a representative faculty member.

The Institutional Effectiveness Team initially served primarily as the core group for our SACS Leadership Team. As the core SACS team, the responsibilities* included, but were not limited to:

Coordination and management of internal review process including developing the structure and timelines for ensuring the timely completion of all tasks;

Oversight of the institutional review of the extent of compliance with the Principles of Accreditation (Core Requirements, Comprehensive Standards and Federal Requirements) and the documentation of evidence supporting the extent of compliance with the criteria;

Oversight of the development of the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP); and

Assurance that the institutional community is engaged in the review process and is kept informed of the progress of the review.

This Institutional Effectiveness Team ultimately was subsumed under the SACS Leadership Team, constituted during the 2008-09 academic year. The SACS Leadership Team included the President as well as others named by the President. The responsibilities* of the team expanded to include:

Development of the Focused Report, if the institution so chooses;

Oversight of the arrangement for the on-site visit; and

Assurance that the appropriate follow-up activities are in place to address compliance issues and to monitor progress of the QEP

* These responsibilities are those recommended by the Commission in the Handbook for Reaffirmation of Accreditation

Current Efforts

In November, 2010, UNF filed its Annual Report with the Board of Governors. Under Institutional Effectiveness, we reported on the current work of the Institutional Effectiveness Team:

Two years ago, UNF received official notification from SACS that it had been reaccredited. It is noteworthy that the SACS visiting team praised UNF for its virtually flawless compliance report. More significantly, UNF not only has maintained the processes it put in place to generate that high degree of compliance; it has, in fact, built upon them so that institutional effectiveness is truly integrated into the fabric of the University. What had been an Institutional Effectiveness Team assembled for the purpose of preparing the SACS report has now been transformed into a standing Institutional Effectiveness Committee. Further, home-grown strategic planning and assessment software will very shortly be replaced by sophisticated electronic programs provided by a national vendor and tailor-fit to UNF’s particular needs. This investment will facilitate continuous rather than intermittent improvement across all units and programs of the University.

The Institutional Effectiveness Committee has ongoing responsibilities that include monitoring our progress in UNF's Quality enhancement Plan, "Community Based Transformational Learning" as well as to remain in compliance of all SACS standards regardless of where the institution is on the reaffirmation timeline. Much of the work of the IEC overlaps with the Strategic Planning Council. For more information on the University's progress in strategic planning, visit the President's website and the Strategic Planning website to understand the process of planning on our campus.